1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical instruments and more particularly, to a magnifying glass and mounting member assembly in which the magnifying glass and mounted member are secured together by means of a retractable, flexible cord thereby allowing use of the magnifying glass over a certain range of distance, but allowing the magnifying glass to be stored on the mounting member with the flexible, retractable cord stored within the mounting member attached to a suitable surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are three primary means of enhancing an individual's vision, glasses or optical lenses, contact lenses, and/or laser surgery. Of the three, glasses and contact lenses are the most prevalent in society for correcting or aiding individual's with their visual acuity.
Not all individuals require glasses for all circumstances. Many individuals require glasses or contact lenses only for reading in that their distance vision is unaffected. A great many people require glasses for both reading and for distance, and of these individuals, some individuals choose to utilize a bifocal optical lens, while others prefer to utilize two pairs of glasses, one for reading and close up work, and one for distance.
There is a certain amount of vanity with the individual who must wear glasses for a specific purpose. Those individuals whose eyesight is seriously defective, and require the wearing of glasses at all times, realize the shortcomings of their visual acuity and wear the glasses. However, those individuals who require glasses for only reading or close work will not wear the glasses otherwise, and will place them at a location which should allow them access if they remember where they placed the glasses.
However, with the baby boomers coming of retirement age, a great many individuals need to supplement their visual acuity in certain instances. One example would be in the kitchen where an individual is required to read a recipe from a cook book, or a recipe from a food package in which the printing was very small and the amount of light may not be optimal. A still further instance is with respect to the taking of medications and the reading of the labels to determine that the individual has the correct medication and knows the correct dosage. In these instances, a visual enhancer in the form of a magnifying glass would be very helpful whether or not the individual required the use of glasses or contact lenses or no visual enhancement. Many people resort to the use of a magnifying glass in these instances, however, the problem is that the magnifying glass has a tendency to migrate from drawer to drawer in a house where multi individuals dwell. Therefore it is not always available at the location and at the time that it is needed by an individual.
Applicant's mounting device with retractable magnifying glass assembly addresses this problem by allowing an individual to mount the retractable magnifying glass to a wall, cabinet, refrigerator, or other suitable available surface. A retractable cord is stored within the mounting member and is attached to a magnifying glass removably secured to the mounting member. The individual could mount this retractable magnifying glass at a convenient location in the kitchen, bathroom, or any other desired room, such that the individual would know exactly where the magnifying glass was at any time. The retractable flexible cord allows the user to selectively remove the magnifying glass from the mount and to walk or carry the magnifying glass the maximum distance away from the mount equal to the amount of retractable, flexible cord secured therein, such that the individual could cross the kitchen to another countertop to read a recipe or a prescription, and then return the magnifying glass to the mount with the retractable, flexible cord being automatically returned to the interior of the mount by a biased cam mechanism.